Written by :
Published on :
At a Glance
- Imane Khelif of Algeria is being offered as the -500 favorite to win gold in the 66kg final fight.
- Khelif, along with Lin Yu-Ting of Taiwan, were previously banned from the Women's World Championship for being deemed biologically male.
The odds to win the Women's 66kg boxing gold medal have Imane Khelif (ALG) as a huge -500 favorite and there is certainly no shortage of controversy concerning Khelif.
Betting site BetOnline reported a seismic shift in its Gold Medal odds towards both Lin Yu-Ting from Taiwan (featherweight, 57kg) and Imane Khelif from Algeria (welterweight, 66kg).
Both boxers were banned from the Women's World Championship last year for being deemed biologically male are fighting at the Paris Olympics.
Both Khelif and Lin identify and have long competed as women, but were disqualified from the 2023 women’s world championships by the International Boxing Association (IBA) for what it called failure to meet “eligibility rules.”
The controversy has attracted the attention of the media, as well as the betting community.
"We've seen non-stop bets come in on these two boxers since this story caught fire," Sportsbook Manager Adam Burns said last week. "Customers who have never bet on boxing ever before with us are unloading on these markets to back Khelif and Lin, and the one-sided wagering has forced us to drastically move the numbers."
BetOnline initially gave Khelif 7/2 odds (+350) to capture the gold in Paris, but over the past 48 hours she has moved to the overwhelming, odds-on favorite.
Khelif beat Hungary's Luca Anna Hamori by unanimous decision in a welterweight quarter-final at the Paris Games on Saturday to ensure Algeria's first Olympic boxing medal since 2000.
"God willing, we will continue fighting for my country that I love the most," Khelif told Algerian state television after her win.
Khelif will face Janjaem Suwannapheng of Thailand, whom she beat at the world championships before being disqualified, in Tuesday's semi-finals.
"It is hard, she has suffered a lot -- as a child and now as a champion, she has suffered so much during these Games," said Khelif's coach Mohamed Chaoua.
Lin was always favored for the gold in her division, but her odds have been cut in half since opening at 2/1.
Women's 66kg Boxing - Gold Medal Winner
Imane Khelif (ALG)
-500
Yang Liu (CHN)
+700
Chen Nien-Chin (TPE)
+1000
Janjaem Suwannapheng (THA)
+2300
|
|
